Deadly Philadelphia Amtrak derailment was caused by radio distraction

The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that the engineer at the controls when an Amtrak train derailed in Philadelphia last year killing eight people was distracted by radio dispatches prior to the crash.

Just over a year has passed since a train barreled into one of the sharpest curves along the Northeastern railroad corridor at 106 miles per hour -- more than double the speed zoned for the stretch -- and flew off the rails just minutes outside of Center City.

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Eight people were killed and more than 200 passengers were injured aboard Amtrak #188, which was traveling on May 12, 2015 from Washington, D.C. through Philadelphia en route to New York City at the time of the crash.

The engineer was "distracted" by radio dispatches prior to crash, according to the AP.

It was unclear if that was the only cause of the crash, but the report was in line with theories that the derailment was due to operator error.

Eight people (pictured) were killed and more than 200 passengers were injured aboard Amtrak #188.

An official announcement is scheduled Tuesday.

Speculation about the cause of the derailment has focused on the engineer, Brandon Bostian, who told investigators he doesn't remember what caused the crash

Bostian said his last memory before hitting the curve where the train derailed was of accelerating, he told NTSB investigators.

"I pushed the throttle forward in order to accelerate from 70 to 80. And I don't remember anything from that point until after the train was already in the curve," Bostian said, according to transcripts of his interviews with authorities.

Amtrak crash photos: Deadly derailment in Philadelphia

"After North Philadelphia, there are a few speed changes," Bostian said. "One of the significant speed changes is there's a 65-mph curve that leads into an 80-mph straightaway that leads into a 50-mph curve, I think, at Frankford Junction or around Frankford Junction area."

He said the curve looks like "a black abyss."

"For the 50-mph curve, it' s difficult to see where the curve starts," Bostian said.

"As that track curves to the left, it kind of, you're looking into somewhat of a black abyss. It would be easy to hit the curve a little bit hot by five or 10 mph if you weren't being careful and looking very carefully at the cues because it can sneak up on you."

Emergency personnel work the scene of a train wreck in Philadelphia on May 12, 2015. (Joseph Kaczmarek/AP)

Bostian said his memory is unclear because of injuries he suffered during the incident.

Experts have said that the derailment could have been prevented by "Positive Train Control" – automated braking technology that prevents trains from traveling above the speed limit, which was not in place on this section of track at the time of the crash.